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As Hot Rodders, it's basically all that matters. The nature of the beast is set before the first tool is gathered. When you get everything buttoned up and that first drive is way behind you, it pops in your head. So.... how fast is she? How much can she put out? How fast are you willing to dare take her?

A few months after I finished my first T Bucket, I asked myself that, as I was cruising down HWY 288. I can't remember what time it was, but it was late and... dark. I made my way ahead of what little traffic there was and just floored the damn thing. I remember the noise, when the 4 bbl carb opened up. I glanced down and saw the needle on the speedometer slowly sweep over. 60.... 70.... 80... It didn't take long and quite soon, I stopped looking at it and common sense told me to look ahead.

I remember how it seemed as though my view was limited to only what was in front of me. The tone of the exhaust had grown from a pleasant murmur to a roar. And I loved it and kept my foot planted. Then, it happened. Something felt different. The car felt "funny". Maybe it was common sense. Maybe it was a lack of nerve. Probably both.

I eased my foot up slowly. Trying to hold on to the "rush". I glanced back at the speedometer and watched the needle move back to the left. It had been around 125. Now, as "fast" goes, 125 isn't really that crazy. I'd ridden in a friends Vette and done 145 and he laughed when I told him that was fast. But in a light weight T Bucket, late at night, 125 was fast enough. I never did that again. Yeah, common sense is a real bitch.

So..... what's your story?

 

I have had it up over 90 a few times but no way would I take my roadster up that fast,
well maybe with the right tires but
not with the bias ply Cokers on it now.

 

I've had my 36 over a hundred so many times I got used to it, I would do it with a passenger just for their reaction. BUT, I moved to the country, deer everywhere, I don't do that anymore.

 

1968, high school, driving out of town by myself in my worn out, but cool, 65 Fairlane, decided to see what it would do if I didn't let up. Speedo needle bouncing like crazy, showing well over 100, then started thinking about my bald front recaps, the $15 ones from C&D tire.
Kept it under 100 from then on, but the shitty recaps were still on the car when I traded it.

 

I’ve been riding motorcycles most of my life and I’ve had a sport bike up to just under 300 kilometres per hour, knocking on the 180 mph mark.

What was most amazing was how smooth and stable it was.
Not really scary more like exhilarating, you talk about adrenaline

My favourite motor sport to watch is the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race.

Of course this was on a closed course under controlled conditions.
Do not attempt.

 

True story. High school 73 or 74, had a friend that had a 71 Challenger 340 6pack 4 speed car. Fuchsia pink w/ black stripes. The fun thing to do was get it out on the four lane long straight away's, it could peg the speedo at 150mph & you could watch the fuel gage go down! Believe it or not.

 

So, I'm riding with my high school buddy, Jim in his 56 Pontiac in 1965. He says we're going out on the new highway to show me something. He wound that 316 up to 120 on the speedo and at the bottom of the hill the bridge over the river had a right turn in it...we drifted all the way across the bridge into the oncoming lane and he never let off...120 MPH.
A few days later I was driving my mom's 55 olds super 88 and thought I'd see if it'd go 120. It did but I stayed the hell away from the curved bridge. Cruised back to town and on my way over to my buddy, Kurt's house at about 20 MPH the right front tire blew out!!!! After I'd been driving 120 on it! I said a little prayer of thanks and changed the damned tire.

 

What about your shorts Rocky?

 

Way back in 1971 my new cruiser a 71 with the new 429 was in for repairs so I was driving a spare cruiser a 1968 that had the 428 interceptor engine and auto trans. It felt faster than the 429 so decided to try it out on our interstate limited access 3 lane highway. At about 0300 in the dark with a huge bright full moon (you can guess what comes next ). Was patrolling a very rural area with virtually no traffic at that hour. Wound it out on our longest stretch that was about 5 miles long. Got it up to 150 on the certified speedometer and TURNED MY HEADLIGHTS OUT drove like that just fine with just full moon light for about 20 seconds until I regained my senses and turned the lights back on. Heart was just pumping and leg shaking on the pedal from the adrenaline blast.

Was the fastest cruiser I drove at the time the new 429 71 would get to about 145 and peter out.

Until I got a new 1989 5.0 mustang fastback standard 5 speed with police package. That one I got up to 158 on a certified radar gun but this time with my headlights on.

 

Early 80s, played a Thursday night gig in Pittsburgh, had to work Friday daylight shift at the mill. My cousin in attendance, offered me a ride back to Ohio to get a couple of hrs shut-eye before work, skipping the load out. Band mates were cool with it. Normally about an hour+ drive. Cuz had a '67 XKE roadster. That thing was smooth as glass, cruising around 135-140 with the top down. Bumped it up a few times, just for kicks. I was damn impressed! I've probably been a little faster on two wheels back in my younger years, but not near comfortable!

 

After driving over 15 hours alone to the end of Maine by myself, I borrowed a helmet from the super cool NASCAR engine builders in the Vette next to me and made a 129 mph pass in my 5-window. It is a great road car with a "warm" 350, no monster. It was a little shakey at the end but after I turned out, I sat inside with one of those smiles on my face that takes forever to go away. Thanks to the SUPER kindness of my pal EJ Kowalski, I have gone faster in his roadster at Bonneville, but that was a special time I will never forget with a car that is very special to me.

 

[QUOTE="Blue One, post

What was most amazing was how smooth and stable it was.
Not really scary more like exhilarating, you talk about adrenaline .[/QUOTE]

"Like being on a rail" With a good helmet on and tucked in behind the fairing it's amazing how quiet and smooth it gets. I honestly don't know how fast I have been, never looked at the speedometer even though my face was about eight inches from it.

 

Saw this speedo indicate 135mph, but that was in my foolish youth.

 

Fastest for me (many years ago) was around 110-115 doing "Nascar drafting" down 95 late at night. Was enough for me but my friend showed up a couple days later with his car with the wheel wells packed full of mud and grass. Turned out he was at it again and lost it. The car spun went down the median and back up the opposite side. Good thing there was no cars coming along at that time.

 

I did 90(before hydraulics 6 months later) in my avatar when I was 16(I know, not impressive) and only had my licence for about 3 months. Hilly roads and deer. A buddy talked me into it. He rolled his El Camino the 2nd week he had his license. Now adays doin 75 down the interstate is no big deal. But you have to understand my car has 10 inches of travel up and down with hydraulic suspension. When some one tailgates me, I just drop the rear end down. They back off a bit. Remember, Lowriders are low and slow.

 

No more of that crap for me... think I had my '59 Ford up to 90 a couple of times. But when I was 18 or so, I HAD to find out what the top end was on anything I drove. '64 Olds 88... buried the speedo at 120 more than once and had plenty pf pedal left. Also on crappy recaps. Been for wild rides in friend's cars, 130 in a Firebird, 150 in a 440 GTX.

 

Speaking of GTX’s , I went to college in Oregon; on my trips there and back I used to bury the 150 speedo on this old girl many times. Mostly in Wyoming and Montana. Got clocked at at 128 in Wyoming...paid the fine on the spot and hauled ass on down the road. That was in the 70’s; I’ve mellowed out a little since then ...:

IMG_0142 by bowie posted May 22, 2017 at 9:00 PM

 

I've had mine up near 100 a few times and it seemed ok, my Dad had an 944 and then a 911 Porsche that I had over 100 a few times and it felt like going 45...
drove an OT IROC back in the 90's to 130, fastest I've been

Its funny and I thought about this just this morning, when we were re doing the 36 in the mid 80's our goal was to be as fast or faster then most of the "hot" cars then...vette 5.0 mustang IROC etc...and we would have been if it didn't take 20 or so years to get back on the road, now? I'm sort of fast but I can get roasted by a family with the A/C on...lol

 

The first time I felt the 100+ float was back in high school in the mid 90's in a friend's older brother's girlfriend's 5.0 fox body Mustang when he got too tired to drive at about 4am on the Mass Pike.

He told me to floor it.

I did.

I backed off when I saw another car on the road (coming up QUICK) at probably somewhere north of 120mph

My OT 2010 Challenger would crack 100 casually just passing trucks.

 

You were feeling the Pucker Factor. 125 is Real Fast in a T Bucket IMO. The sensation of speed is relative to what you are sitting in or on and what time in your life. In Wisconsin as young kids we would go sledding in winter, next step, toboggan on a ice ramp/hill, raced our bicycles., raced our home box racers down hill, As a 16 year old kid/first car had a 57 Chev, put in a 348 tri-carb, pretty fast street race car in 64, street raced different cars, also my daily drivers, 64/70. In 1970, got into my Dad's Midget racer, maybe 120 top speed on 1/2 mile dirt tracks, raced/owned Midgets 70/86, 87 Bought a winged Sprint car, owned/raced them thru 91, at some 1/2 miles at end of straightaway speed around 150/160 your lap speed ave over 120, raced Go Karts and 80/90 seemed fast to me. I Have been 150 on a 4 lane highway in a Corvette, 110 on motorcycles, 80+ on the water in a boat. I have been an adrenaline junkie all my life and always had a Guardian Angel watching over me, NOW Old, not fast or in a hurry doing anything anymore, But realize how Lucky and Fortunate I was and am. Guess my point is, Speed and how fast is the point where your pucker factor starts coming on, changes with time and experience, everyone's is different, except motorcycle racers, they do not have the pucker gene/factor, Fearless. When I started dirt track racing, it was pointed out to me, that real Brave is right next door to real Stupid, Use your head for thinking/connecting foot and brain.

 

I also enjoy watching the isle of man, if you haven't watched that race, you ought to, THAT will show you how fast, fast can be, those guys are beyond brave.

 

The fastest I've gone in a vehicle that I was in control of was my old hot rod Harley, 138 MPH based on the GPS. Now much older and wiser, I just finished an 1800 mile drive through ND/SD/IA/MO/KS. I spooled up a 1994 Roadmaster to just over 90 for about a mile and I was as nervous as a whore in church.

 

A friend of mine with an early 90's 5.0 lived in Ft Worth but worked in Witchita, KS. He commuted up every Sunday night and back every Friday afternoon; that 5+ hour drive got boring so he drove fast. Sustained high speed seems to be another animal. He tells me that after driving 120 for an hour straight then slowing for the radar blips to 65 felt like you were crawling. When he replaced the brakes his rotors were all cracked from the high heat. The dealer told him the cars were built to go fast a couple times but were not sold with the brakes to handle that speed for any length of time. He upgraded the brakes, continued to drive fast and never got caught. He has made the transition from a bold friend to an old friend as old and bold doesn't always happen.

 

Working in a shop that repaired cars such as Ferrari, Porsche,Vipers... was fun, especially when a customer had an issue that didn't appear until after a 'certain speed'.
My boss wanted us to test drive cars before delivery. hmmmmm (we always drove the posted speed......honestly)
Then working in a rod shop, we always had to do a 'shake down' before delivery.
We did a lot of OT computer controlled engines, programming was fun, I was the idiot that held the lap top.
We had a customer that had a vibration that didn't appear until after 125ish.
4 of us on a lunch break cruising 140ish in a big block 55 chev.
I drive a lowered short bus now, weighs over 7k, 70 is fun, its kinda like how speed feels in a boat.

but the scariest was when I put a speedo on my bike.
the speedo read 50, It went way past that down a large hill on a tar and gravel road

 

I worked at a shop that (at the time) had the world's fastest LS1. It was a mid-8 second street legal Trans Am convertible. Went to lunch in it one time with boss. It was scary. He also had a Z06 Vette that was 725 hp at the wheels. That was a different kind of fast... he had it up over 160 on I75 and it was so stable it felt like 70mph.

 

been well over 100 on a motorcycle too, buddy had a turbo Seca, and when that turbo kicked in...got up to 110 on side streets....scared me form getting my own bike cause I knew I wreck myself

 

Had my Flatty t-bucket up over a buck a couple times. One in the pouring down rain with another bucket right beside me. I'd like to think I know better now. My Shoebox has been 100+ once.

 

Not

 

First time I took my Shoebox to the drags I realized I had not been over 70..First pass I thought am I gonna have the balls to stay in it? I did 95 and thought man this thing is stable! I got to a little over a 100 in future runs but dropped 6/10's in et... Since then on the street I've run 85 on occasion, last year 85 just to get around a tour bus that had to be doing 80 down hill; man was that a long bus! Once I got by and pulled over several cars pasted me at probably 100 or so at least..Shoebox speedo reads 100 at 4 o'clock, fastest ever was needle at 6 o'clock..

 

The fastest I've ever gone was about 480 mph. But that was on a commercial airliner. But it was traditional because it had wide whitewalls.